Board Appointment

Ophir Energy plc

Board appointment

London, 15 August 2013: Ophir Energy plc announces an addition to its Board.

Mrs Vivien Gibney has been appointed as a non-executive director of Ophir Energy effective immediately. Vivien has 25 years' experience as counsel in the upstream oil and gas industry, including roles with Mobil Oil and Enterprise Oil plc. Whilst at Enterprise Oil, Vivien set up the legal department and held the positions of General Counsel, Company Secretary and Head of HR. Vivien has held a number of non-executive board positions including roles on the Boards of the University of Northampton and Opera North. More recently, she was a member of the Board of Directors of Encore Oil plc where she chaired the Remuneration Committee. Vivien is a barrister with an LL.B. and received an Honorary Fellowship in Petroleum law from the University of Dundee.

Nicholas Smith, Chairman of Ophir Energy said:

"We are very pleased to welcome Vivien Gibney to Ophir's Board. Her extensive career within the oil industry at a corporate level will provide valuable experience as we continue to grow our business."

The Company confirms there is no further information to disclose pursuant to paragraph 9.6.13R of the FSA's Listing Rules.

Ends

For Further Enquiries please contact:

Ophir Energy plc +44 (0)20 7290 5800

Nick Cooper, CEO

Richard Rose, Corporate Communications and Strategy

Brunswick Group +44 (0)20 7404 5959

Patrick Handley

Elizabeth Adams

Notes to Editors

Ophir Energy (OPHR.LN) is an African focussed, upstream oil and gas resource company which is a member of the FTSE 250. The Group's headquarters are located in London (England), with operational offices in Perth (Australia), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), Dar es Salaam and Mtwara (Tanzania), Libreville (Gabon), Nairobi (Kenya) and Accra (Ghana).

For further information on Ophir, please refer to www.ophir-energy.com